Before The Sunrise
by delypanda
Summary: For as long as I can remember, I've always been a healer; a protector. And then I died. And landed somewhere really weird with really weird people – people? I have no idea what they are, they look 'people' at least. Uh, what kind of afterlife is this? Legolas/oc
1. Prologue

_**Disclaimer: Tolkien's world of Middle Earth and everything in it does not belong to me. My brain does not have the capacity to create such wonderful complex things.**_

 _A/N: Welp, my first try at a human!oc/Legolas. I know it's pretty much a common trope here but I'm doing my best to give it that extra spark. Hope y'all enjoy!_

Summary: For as long as I can remember, I've always been a healer; a protector. And then I died. And landed somewhere really weird with really weird people – _people? I have no idea what they are, they look 'people' at least_. Uh, what the fuck kind of afterlife is this?

* * *

 **-PROLOGUE-**

* * *

Pain.

It hurt. I couldn't breathe.

What's that wheezing noise? It sounded like a strangled duck.

Oh. It's me.

Figures. I did currently have a hand stuck through my chest. Ack.

"DAWN!" A series of panicked yells reached my ears. I couldn't really hear very well though, everything was going kind of muffled.

I couldn't see very well either, my vision going dark and blurry and the edges but staring at the humanoid monster in front of me, I could've sworn it grinned a little.

Ah shit. We were way in over our heads.

Who knew they had such intelligent minds to carry out the strategy of 'go for the healer first'?

"..Run..!" I gasped weakly, praying hard that those fools of my friends wouldn't be so stupidly heroic as to try to save me, ignoring the fact that we were all dreadfully underequipped to deal with these blasted monsters. I was already done for, there was nothing they could do for me. If they didn't retreat now, then not just me, but all of us would die.

There's no way I've been helping and saving their behinds for so long just for them to throw away their lives to try to save my already fading one.

I could feel my body working overtime, but not even my increased rate of healing could do anything about it.

My ribs were broken, lungs and heart probably damaged too. The moment the monster ripped its arm out of me, I'd bleed out like a fountain.

I coughed wetly, spitting out the liquid pooling in my mouth. Blood probably. I could feel it dripping down my neck. Everything below that was starting to go numb.

"Dawn!"

With herculean effort, I turned my head to where the sob had come from. My lips twitched up feebly in a smile before I knew it at the sight.

My best friend, my sister from another mother, Lydia.

Don't cry. You've never looked more horrendous than right now, all blotchy and red. You don't cry prettily, unlike what you want to believe, and Lydia doesn't do ugly. That's your motto, isn't it?

Don't cry. Grab the others and run. If it's hand is still stuck in me, then it can't chase after you guys yet.

"..Run.. You fools..!" How many times did I need to tell them?! Stop staring and just go!

"Dawn! I'm sorry!" She cried, grabbing a wide-eyed Stiles by the collar and hauling him up. "Let's go! Run!"

No. No need to be sorry. _I'm the one who's sorry._

The monster growled, glowing eyes following after their retreating figures, looking like it wanted to follow after them but seemingly decided not to, turning back to me. It flicked me off its arm, throwing my body roughly onto the ground like I was nothing more than some dirt on its arm.

It probably should have hurt, the way my head smacked into the ground.

But I didn't feel anything. Not one bit of pain.

If there was any _any_ chance at all that I could have made it, I thought dryly, it was gone for sure now. My head was most probably split open too, in addition to the now gaping hole in my chest. Both draining away my precious lifeblood.

An agonized howl tore through the air, the sound so full of pain and despair it brought tears to my eyes.

Oh, Scott. Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault. Never was, never will.

If anything, it was mine. But I don't regret it.

None of you should. It was an unconscious decision, my body just moved even before I knew it, running in front of Allison like that to take the blow, but I don't regret it.

I'm a protector. And she's alive. You're all alive.

My throat suddenly felt incredibly tight, a sob rising up.

There were still so many things I wanted to do. With you guys, with my family.

We were only seventeen. We were going to be seniors, we were supposed to tease the new freshmen on the first day back at school.

A tear slipped from my eye, sliding into my hair.

I'm sorry I couldn't help more. I'm sorry I have to leave first. I'm sorry I can't protect you all anymore. I'm sorry I won't get to help you pick your outfits anymore or give Stiles a swat for you when he's drooling over you.

 _I'm sorry._

* * *

My name is Dawn Gallagher.

And well, hello to heaven. I guess.

I hope they have dogs. I like dogs. Big fluffy ones.

* * *

 _A/N: Anyone got the reference, fellow fans? I don't own it either. Too lazy to come up with new names haha_

 _Reviews please! I'd like to know what you all think! :)_


	2. Chapter 1

_A/N: A big thank you to all the followers, reviewers and readers even though there was only a prologue! Can't say I was expecting people to be attracted just by a prologue so I'm really very pleasantly surprised_ :)

 _Sorry for the long wait, but here's the first chapter! Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

 **-CHAPTER 1-**

* * *

 _I'm dead. I've died and gone to the afterlife._

Dawn blinked, and blinked some more.

She was laying on the fluffiest bed ever with quilts of the softest material imaginable draped over her. The ceiling above her head was white marble, in a manner reminiscent to that of Victorian architecture, with intricate patterns and symbols carved into the walls and ceiling. And the room was _large_. Like ridiculously large, my-whole-room-is-less-than-half-this-size kind of large.

Surely, such luxury would exist nowhere other than in heaven itself.

Then, the dazedness gave way to panic.

She was absolutely certain she hadn't done anything to deserve such a glamorous suite. Even if it was in heaven, it was definitely too much an overkill. She wasn't that great of a person, Dawn thought. What kind of ranking system did Heaven have for its souls? Or did everyone receive this standard of generosity?

It was a mistake. She stiffened in the bed, not moving a single muscle. If this was someone else's room, she was loath to touch anything she wasn't supposed to. Although, it wasn't really her fault she ended up in this room. She literally just woke up. Anything that happened while she was unconscious shouldn't be on her head.

However, thinking carefully again, could Heaven even make a mistake? Dawn had seen a few comedy movies over the years. There were those with storylines where an angel accidentally messed up and made life – afterlife? – worse for the poor soul.

That had better not be the case. Dawn scowled. Angel or not, she didn't think she could let whoever was the culprit off easily.

Don't look a gift horse in its mouth, Lydia would say, take whatever is given to you in stride and deal with the consequences (if any) later. However, this was too suspicious for Dawn to accept. She'd learnt early on that there was no free lunch in the world, especially not one to this extent.

Something huffed a hot breath into her ear from the side.

An embarrassing high-pitched squeak escaped her and she reflexively squirmed away before freezing instantly. She didn't want to wake whoever or whatever was in the bed.

She slowly turned her head enough for her to take a peek out the corner of her eye.

Dawn wondered if Heaven really was messing with her.

She knew she liked dogs. In fact, she vaguely remembered saying she wished she could own a dog, preferably one of the bigger breeds.

That, in no way at all, meant _this_.

She stared, nonplussed at the sight of the gigantic fluffy mass of fur lying next to her. It looked like it was taking up more of the bed than she was; the dog-wolf-canine was just that big.

Her fingers twitched towards it and she immediately clenched them into fists.

She would not, _could_ _not_ , wake the metaphorical sleeping lion just because she had the stupid urge to bury her fingers into that dastardly soft and cuddly looking snowy white fur. What if it woke up and bit her head off? That would be ridiculously suicidal. At that thought, she found herself wondering if there was even such a thing as suicide in the afterlife.

Furthermore, was this situation supposed to be some sort of punishment?

Barely a few minutes into the afterlife and Dawn was already stressed beyond belief. Her muscles were aching from how rigid she held herself. Afterlife wasn't so euphoric after all, she thought cynically.

She gave herself a mental shake of the head, unwilling to even shift any more than she had already done and disturb the beast, ridding herself of those thoughts. They were important, but the most important thing right now was why was it even in the same bed as her?!

Was it a pet?! A guard dog?!

Dawn was torn between yelling and cursing, or just crying and wailing. Could she have been born under an unlucky star or something? Even while dead, she had a knack for landing herself in sticky situations.

What was she supposed to do?

She was about to just declare 'screw it!' and just do something, anything really, when the door creaked open.

A man's head popped out of the gap between the door and the wall. Upon meeting eyes with her, he opened the door wider and stepped in. "You've awoken."

"Are you an angel?" Dawn asked, quirking up an eyebrow. Angels nowadays sure had some weird fashion choices and good shampoo. She eyed his long flowy hair, slightly envious.

The male who had just swept into the room stared at her for a moment before his expression twisted. "What's an angel?"

Giving a cautious glance to the slumbering animal beside her, she slowly sat up. "Someone who leads the souls of the dead to wherever they're supposed to go?" She humored his question only because she appreciated the genuine-looking confusion on his face. The man had mad acting skills. She nearly believed him.

"We don't have that here." His tone was icy. Dawn belatedly realized she should have kept a tighter control over her emotions. It probably sounded too much like you're-stupid-for-not-knowing-are-you-kidding-me.

"..You don't believe in angels." He really was kidding her. Did he think she would be so easy to trick?

"No, I believe my meaning was that this ' _angels'_ do not exist here. I have never heard of the term." Now, he was speaking to her like _she_ was the child. Her hackles rose.

"Look here, you-" Her eyes swept him up and down, searching for something to insult him about. She was wondering if it was satisfactorily rude enough to call his attire a dress that looked like it was made from her grandmother's curtains, when her gaze landed on something that made her mind short-circuit.

Ears. The ears. _His_ ears.

 _Pointy_ ears.

"Are you done gaping, child?"

Dawn would probably have been indignant about being addressed as a child but as matters were, she was, indeed, rudely gaping.

"Elves aren't real." She blurted out, and immediately closed her mouth with an audible clack of teeth. Her ears burned red hot.

"I assure you, we are very much real." He stressed.

"This is a dream. Or the afterlife. Though I'm really wondering why there are elves in heaven." Dawn pointed a shaky finger at him. "You, mister, are not real."

She had to be dreaming. That was the only conclusion. Elves didn't exist, and there was no reason for them to be existing in her heaven. She was expecting angels or maybe demons, but definitely no elves, nor wolves.

Dawn wasn't dead. Miraculously. And if she wasn't dead, then there was only one place she wanted to be right now. With her friends, whom she last saw running away from that horrendous monster. She had to know if they were alright. She couldn't be cooped up here with this nutjob cosplaying as an elf in her mind.

Her subconscious better stop messing with her. Dawn wouldn't stand for it.

She pinched herself, painfully, multiple times. And when that didn't work, she made to give herself a slap. Surely, one good smack would send her back to the waking world. If not, the last resort would be to jump off a building though she wasn't really keen on pulling an 'Inception'. She had enough of dying already.

"What are you doing, child?! Why are you hurting yourself?" He stepped closer to her bedside in a movement so graceful she'd never be able to achieve even if she did ballet for a lifetime. Her hands were quickly pulled away by slender yet masculine fingers.

"I want to wake up!" She hissed at him while trying to yank out of his hold. It was futile. It was like she was caught by a stone statue. "You're not real and this whole thing isn't real! I've got better places to be at!"

"You're awake." His brows furrowed, a slight sympathetic tinge in his voice as he spoke to her. His calm and firm tone caught her attention enough for her to still her struggles. "This is real, child. You are neither dreaming nor dead. You are alive, here."

"Where is _here_?" She was near tears with frustration.

"Imladris, the House of Lord Elrond."

"And where is that?" She snapped, hazel eyes sparking with confusion-driven anger. "I don't recognize any of those names!"

Why didn't anything make sense?

"You are in Middle Earth. A whole other realm, I suspect."

"It has been a few days since one of my patrol found you gravely injured in the woods."

The elf immediately released her, straightening up with an incline of his head at the two new arrivals.

Dawn jolted with surprise at the two new voices. She hadn't noticed their entrance into the room, so caught up with the first 'elf'.

The first one who had spoken was a tall old man, though he didn't exactly look frail, with twinkling eyes and a long grey beard. He tipped his pointed at her, and introduced himself as Gandalf, the Grey Wizard.

Her jaw dropped open.

The second one was an elf. The pointed ears peeking out from his brunette hair indicated so. He was the very definition of regal, both in his mannerisms and attire. He probably breathed dignity. The first elf introduced himself as Lindir, steward of Imladris, and the second elf as Lord Elrond, the well, lord of Imladris.

Elves and wizards. Stewards and Lords. Truly, her imagination knew no limits.

Imaginary they may be, her manners prompted her to give her name as well. "Dawn Gallagher."

"How do you feel?" Elrond raised a hand once he was standing at her bedside.

Dawn flinched away.

The stern set to his eyebrows, then melted away. He didn't smile, but at least, she got the feeling that he meant her no harm. She shoved the niggling thought of whether it was possible to get hurt in a dream to the back of her mind.

"Be at ease, child. He is the healer who saved your life." Gandalf said.

"One of the very best in the whole of Middle Earth." Lindir chimed in proudly.

So, when Elrond moved nearer again, Dawn didn't move and let him rest his hand on her forehead. After a moment of concentration, he withdrew with an unreadable expression on his face.

"What is it? Is something wrong with me?" She caught the exchange of glances between Elrond and Gandalf.

"On the contrary, everything is as good as it can be." Elrond raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "You heal much faster than a human should be capable of. Perhaps even our speed of healing might pale in comparison to yours."

"Oh. Well. That's odd."

"Indeed, it is." Gandalf leaned forward, eyes boring into hers.

Dawn made sure to not avert her eyes, staring back daringly. Her secrets were hers to keep until she felt that they could be trusted. Especially one such as hers that had a high chance of being abused. It was an ingrained instinct to not dole out any information after dealing with all sorts of monsters over the years.

As if sensing he would not win the battle, Gandalf's gaze slid off to the side. "It appears the direwolf still has not left your side."

Dawn realized the canine had completely slipped her mind. Surprisingly, it was still sleeping peacefully despite all the noise she must have caused arguing with Lindir before.

"Direwolf? Still?" She spluttered. "Wait, earlier, you said you found me in the woods? And something ridiculous about this place being a whole another realm?"

"Indeed." Elrond said, casting a scrutinizing gaze over her. "I dreamt of your coming, and sent out some of my elves when the time was appropriate."

"A dream? About me?"

"Gandalf moved to the armchair on the other side of the bed. "This will be a long discussion. Would you like to rest before we proceed on?"

"Not at all." Dawn narrowed her eyes. "I'd like to know everything."

"Very well," Gandalf sighed. "You are not the first human to arrive here in this manner. Over the recent centuries, there have been records of humans appearing in Middle Earth. They had no knowledge at all of Middle Earth and constantly spoke of strange things which had never before been heard."

"And now, I'm one of them." Dawn said carefully.

"Yes, we believe so." Elrond eyed her thoughtfully. "The attire you were wearing was one we had never seen before."

"Denim," She snorted. "One of the wonders of the modern world."

"De..?"

"Denim. My jeans, the pants I was wearing. Speaking of which," Dawn lifted the covers she was under to check. "Who changed my clothes?"

"My daughter, Arwen, did." Elrond said stiffly.

"Right, so, the woods..?"

Elrond cleared his throat, glaring at the wizard who stifled an amused chuckle, before continuing. "You were found in the woods north of Imladris, bleeding profusely and unconscious. The direwolf was by your side, guarding you. It never went far throughout the journey here. You've been resting here for two days after I healed your wounds."

Dawn stared at the white mass. So, it wasn't a punishment or a rabid beast. She felt her heart warm, knowing it had protected her.

"I'm still not entirely convinced this isn't a dream. Or a really strange afterlife cooked up by tangling with too many monsters."

"You are alive. Lord Elrond _healed_ you." Lindir protested.

"Except, I died. I'm sure of that. Well, humans generally can't survive being impaled on a monster's arm through the chest."

Lindir's face instantly blanched.

She only realized her arm had gone up, fingers still dazedly brushing over the area where she had clearly felt the creature's arm, when their eyes followed the movement. Clearing her throat self-consciously, she jerked her arm back down.

"I was under the impression there were no monsters in your world." Gandalf remarked.

"Only those involved know about it. Those who aren't are none the wiser as to their existence."

"You were involved."

Dawn knew it was Gandalf's attempt at prying for more knowledge though he didn't ask any direct questions. She could play the same game. "Yes, I was."

The two stared at each other for a while, neither backing down.

The wizard suddenly chuckled, standing up and moving to the door. "I see getting anything from you at this point of time is useless." He tipped his hat at her in farewell, before musing out aloud as he stepped out. "Perhaps I should go for some ale?"

His abrupt departure left the room's occupant baffled.

Lindir shook his head exasperatedly. "A wizard comes and goes as he pleases, truly."

"We should take our leave too." Elrond said. "I will send my daughter by shortly, to show you around. You are not a prisoner, but it would be unwise for you to leave Imladris' protection when you know nothing of this world and its dangers."

The two of them exited the room as well.

Dawn contemplated in silence, unsure of how to react.

Another world?

That was absurd. Her brain must be making use of all its thinking capacity to come up with such convincing backstories. Maybe she was in a coma?

She squeezed her eyes shut. Then, pinched herself again. It hurt, but she was still here.

Dawn flopped back onto the bed, fiery strands of hair mixing with the snowy white fluff of the so-called direwolf. She briefly wondered if it was such a heavy sleeper.

What else could she do to wake up?

She had to wake up. She had to get back.

* * *

 _A/N: This one's a little short but I really wanted to end it at this point. The next chapter will be longer and it's in progress, shouldn't take too long_ :)


	3. Chapter 2

_A/N: Here's the update! I wasn't intending on putting quotes here like my other story. I think the song was meant to be hopeful and heartwarming.. but it strangely matched this chapter in a bittersweet way instead_

* * *

 **-CHAPTER 2-**

 _"If you feel lost_

 _And on your own_ _and far from home_

 _You're never alone you know_

 _Just think of your friends_ _,_ _the ones who care_

 _They all will be waiting there_

 _With love to share_

 _And your heart will lead you where you belong_

 _I know your heart will lead you home."_

— Kenny Loggins "Your Heart Will Lead You Home"

* * *

The wind was blowing in her face, sending her long locks flying over her shoulder. Dawn had never been particularly afraid of heights, and especially not when it was in front of such beautiful scenery. Over the past few weeks exploring, she had found many balconies all with extremely eye-catching scenery. Lush emerald forests and plains, majestic and tall mountains and cliff faces as well as the sparkling blue of waterfalls and lakes.

This time, she had found one built on a cliff taller than all the rest and there she sat, perched on the railing at the edge. Her feet dangled in thin air, over a dizzying drop.

Up here, she could fool herself into believing that she was back at home. There was nothing but scenery. It was almost like the countryside in New Zealand or some other country.

However, left alone with her thoughts, the doubts crept up on her once again. Jumping across dimensions from normal Earth to a fantasy Middle Earth, Elrond had said. The absurdity of it all. She was no stranger to monsters and fantasy creatures, one of her friends back home was a werewolf, but she'd never heard of elves before. Even the name, Middle Earth, sounded like it was fiction, taken from her 'Earth'.

The more plausible explanation would be that in her coma, her brain had cooked up a startlingly vivid imaginary world made up of all the things she subconsciously wished for.

She refused to believe anything else.

She had fun, playing around and exploring in a new fantasy world, almost like dropping into a dream. But the dream was slowly turning into a nightmare the longer she stayed.

Her friends needed her.

The dream was fun while it lasted, but it was time to go back home.

"What do we have here?"

"I don't know, brother, what do you think?"

"Why, a beautiful maiden is in need of some uplifting company, I think."

With barely a moment's notice, Dawn was scooped off the ledge by hands on her waist and tossed over a male's shoulder.

"Uplifting, indeed!" The elf jumped up lightly. "Up you go!"

"Abuse!" She choked out, her breath whooshed out of her each time she landed on his shoulder, jabbing into her midsection. "This is abuse!"

Her hair flopped up and down in accordance with his movements, blocking her vision. She couldn't see anything except the ground and the back of the male elf carrying her.

She could hear their voices and the excited yips of the direwolf. Traitor, she thought sourly. The dog had pounced on her the next morning after the day she had woken up, giving her the shock of her life. Elves had come bursting into her room at the sound of her scream, only to be met with the sight of her on the floor with the great big dog slobbering over her face.

Nevertheless, she later discovered that the canine wasn't going to take a chunk out of her anytime soon. It literally dogged her footsteps; a silent dog protector. She had grown used to it as her bodyguard over the past few weeks albeit it didn't particularly help her from getting lost in the maze that was Imladris' corridors.

In this situation, though, the dog was especially useless. Tongue lolling out and nipping at their heels while barking for attention. What use was it as a bodyguard if it didn't prevent her from getting manhandled?

Resigned to her fate, Dawn went limp. Struggling was no use. Her arms and legs were pinned by his arms and with the wind knocked out of her every step, she was in no shape to try to extract herself from his grasp.

Within moments, the world spun around her again and Dawn was thrown onto something soft. Her bed, she realized, staring at the ceiling she had grown familiar with. Whenever she couldn't sleep, too many thoughts whirling in her head, wondering how her friends back home were doing, she'd trace all the patterns and lines, counting the symbols until she was tired out and fell asleep.

A gentle hand pulled her upright and Dawn found herself staring at three brunettes all with identical disapproving expressions.

It was Arwen that had helped her up. Dawn sighed. Most likely, Arwen was the one who had sent for the twins to get her again and then, waited in her room for them. It was already somewhat routine.

Arwen, Elrond's daughter, had been a blessing to her in this new and strange dreamworld. Surprisingly, Dawn had liked her right off the bat. She was everything Dawn, as an only child, had ever wanted in an older sister. Just being in her presence was remarkably soothing.

On the other hand, the twins, Elladan and Elrohir, were older brothers she probably could have done without. Arwen, despite being their blood-related younger sister, shared the same sentiment. The brothers had come home to Imladris a few days after she had woken up. Interested in the new human resident, they had latched themselves to her. Both were perpetually grinning, with enough fun and mischief in them to be terrorizing. She found herself the unfortunate victims of a few of their pranks before, and then, spent the rest of the day cursing them out. Other days, she joined in on their terrorizing just for the heck of it.

All in all, the three siblings quickly endeared themselves to Dawn with their personalities. They formed a little makeshift family around Dawn. Gosh, she would miss them when she woke up and went back to the real world. She had her friends who were just as much family to her as well, but they were all around her age. She'd never had older sibling figures before. Was it weird to miss figments of her imagination, though?

"Sunrise," Elladan started, ever the more serious twin. "We were joking before but this isn't right. You _have_ to stop."

Arwen added, sighing heavily. "We aren't unaware of your true intentions."

"We can't keep finding you at dangerous places like that. It's time you accept the truth." Elrohir's brows furrowed.

"What truth?" Dawn snapped heatedly. "The only truth I accept is that I'm not where I belong! I have to get back!"

Their words, their tone, their expressions. Everything about them rubbed her the wrong way at the moment. She didn't need them to look at her like she was a kitten abandoned at the side of the road in the middle of a downpour.

"Gandalf has said so, as did our father." Elladan's expression hardened. "There have been no records of any of the humans finding their way back to where they came from. They lived out the rest of their lives in Middle Earth."

She remembered clearly, all too clearly, in fact. It was the day she had met the twins, actually. They had come along into her room after Elrond and Gandalf.

"I wish you could return home as well, Dawn," Arwen laid a hand on her shoulder, her voice careful. "But it is not possible."

Dawn knew Arwen meant to comfort her, but instead of that, she felt patronized. She roughly brushed Arwen's hand off, ignoring the look of hurt on her face. "It is possible. I know it is. I'm going home. I know how to go home but you won't let me!"

"You're going to kill yourself!" Elladan exploded. It was such uncharacteristic behavior that everyone went still. He grabbed Dawn by the shoulders and she could feel his fingers trembling. "No, you're already killing yourself!"

"That's the point!" She shrieked back. "I've tried counting my fingers, there are ten! Reading, I can read books in your common tongue – it's just like English! Pain, it hurts, I can feel it! This is the only thing left that I can try!"

"Jumping off from there will not send you back home!" He insisted vehemently, fingers digging deeper into her flesh as though willing her to get a grip on reality. "That is not something to try, you will die!"

"Listen well, Dawn. I believe you are already aware that your efforts are futile." Elrohir said solemnly. " _You cannot go home_."

If she was dead, like she had originally believed, she would have accepted it. Death couldn't be fought against.

But she was _alive_. Why couldn't, why shouldn't she fight to get back to where she belonged?

Middle Earth couldn't be real.

It can't be real.

This world _can't_ be real.

Because if it was real, then that meant that was Gandalf and Elrond said was real.

It meant she was stuck in a whole new strange and unfamiliar world.

It meant that she'd never be able to go back to her home, to her friends and family.

It meant that she'd never see them again.

And she couldn't accept it.

How was she to live with that knowledge?

 _It wasn't real._

\V/

"She still hasn't come out yet?"

Dawn distantly heard mumbling outside her door. But she couldn't be bothered.

She didn't know how long she had been cooped up in her room. Elves had come and gone, mostly the three siblings, knocking on her door. Their requests and pleas for her to come out had all fallen on deaf ears. The wolf too, whining and scratching at the door, was ignored.

After Elladan had shouted at her, she'd screamed at them to get out and then, collapsed on the bed. She didn't want to move at all. She neither felt like drinking or eating. She had tried sipping the water they left outside her door, but it wouldn't go down and so, she gave up, choosing to lay curled up in her blankets. She wanted to hide herself from the world.

The direwolf had laid beside her in the beginning, offering silent warmth and comfort. Though, it had needed to drink and eat too. So, she opened the door to let it out and then, hadn't let it back in. It was only another reminder that she was far from home.

Dawn could still remember the first day she had properly met her friends; her pack. In the beginning, she had no idea they would become irreplaceable to her. They had simply been faces in the crowd, vague and superficial impressions of their names and presence in her classes. The boy in English who couldn't sit still, the boy in Economics who could never answer a question correctly, the girl in Chemistry who always had a new bag each week.

Her friends were the ones who brought the sunshine back into her life.

Her mother had died young; Dawn hardly remembered her. Her father, distraught over her death, couldn't bear to look at Dawn and had escaped into his work. Fiery red hair, the infamous temper and hazel eyes; the same green and gold flecks in her eyes. She was the splitting image of her mother. Soon enough, she had grown estranged with her father.

She had been lonely. She had many friends and acquaintances, but none who truly knew or cared about her. She had the material things, trendy clothes and bags, fancy car, but her father was never around. She always returned to a cold and dark house.

Despite the troubles they constantly found themselves in, with all the stress and fighting, she had never felt more alive than with them. They were the ones who filled the hollow in her chest. Filled it with smiles and laughter, concern and love. They _fit_ into her gap, like pieces of a puzzle. Her very first lifeline.

They were everything to her.

She lived for them. She protected them.

Bold yet insecure, the stumbling Stiles. Socially awkward and clumsy, the poor boy had tripped over his feet trying to show her the way when she had asked him for directions. Human, but no less important nor strong when it mattered. He always managed the impossible, doing all the things he could do and more. The brains of their pack.

His best friend, shy and kind-hearted Scott whose life had turned upside down when he got bitten by a werewolf. It was his and Stiles' introduction to her world. She had always said he was too kind for the world of monsters where the phrase 'kill or be killed' had never been truer. Yet, his strong moral compass and bravery led him to become their leader; the alpha of their pack. Somewhere down the road, they had all started looking to him when they were unsure.

Her best friend, Lydia, the banshee who blamed herself when she couldn't save anyone despite predicting their death. Prickly and rude to all who didn't know her, she was the fashionable queen bee of their school. The one who pretended she was dumb in order to fit in with her jock boyfriend's social crowd. Inside though, she was a marshmallow who had enough IQ to top the entire cohort. The one who had let her ruin her new branded jacket with all her tears and snot when she needed a shoulder to cry on.

Allison, the new girl who had a family background of being hunters. Good and loyal to a fault, she lived by her family motto, ' _We protect those who can't protect themselves_ '. Lethal with a bow and arrow, and master of many weapons, she never ran away from protecting her friends even though her family disapproved of her running with the wolves.

Over the years, their little mismatch group had grown, adding precious members – humans and non-humans both – to their family. Isaac, Boyd, Erica, Malia, Liam. All with less than stellar family backgrounds, they had found safety and refuge with them, growing in self-confidence and strength the longer they stayed.

Now, the last she saw of her friends, they were running away from that monster they called a berserker because of its insane strength and build. There was bound to be more. That one couldn't be the last, and they hadn't come close to finding any way to stop them yet. They could all be in grave danger now.

She needed them. And likewise, they needed her.

If she gave up here, wouldn't it be like betraying them?

If she wasn't fighting to get back to them, would it be abandoning them?

She'd tried so many times, but deep inside, Dawn knew. The reason why she had been so defensive, so easily triggered, was because he had thrown the truth in her face. A truth that she knew already, but couldn't believe.

Buried under her blankets, she went over and over again, the signs of being in a dream.

There were ten fingers, not less and not more. She remembered clearly where she had been and everything that had happened. There were no gaps in her memory. She didn't suddenly find herself somewhere and have no idea how she got there. Nothing ridiculous had happened, other than the existence of elves but that wasn't a sudden freak occurrence.

The feeling of falling, the sensation that caused everyone to wake up, was the only thing she hadn't tried. People woke up all the time whenever they accidentally fell out of bed. Small distances like from the bed to the floor wouldn't work though, neither would a distance of one storey – she had tried jumping from her room balcony to the garden below. Nothing happened other than a sprained ankle and it was quickly gone. In her search for a taller and higher fall, she had meandered to the balconies on the higher levels of Imladris. She realised, now, that the cliffside balcony was quite a terrible idea. It would have been disastrous, had she fallen. Suicide wasn't really something she wanted to be angling for, yet it had nearly gone in that direction.

Everything pointed to the fact that the place she was in now wasn't a dream. It had been weeks. If she really was lucid dreaming, something would have happened already.

There had been a truly horrific period of time where Stiles couldn't differentiate between reality and dreams. They had later discovered a monster spirit had been messing with his mind, opening it to limbo – a realm between the dead and living. He suffered panic attacks in school and at night. He had shared with her that the words and letters had scrambled themselves, rendering him unable to read even in the waking world. So, he had used the method of counting his fingers to calm down from his panic attacks. Once he realised it was a dream, even when he was being injured by demons and monstrous creatures alike, he never felt a tinge of pain.

She stared at her hands, slowly folding each finger as she counted.

Ten. Five on each hand.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

With trembling fingers, she pinched herself again. The pale skin of her forearms was already speckled with bruises.

It hurt.

She pinched harder, until it was too painful to hold on any longer.

Wetness dripped down her cheeks.

How many attempts did that make?

She had lost count of how many times she tried. Each time, the result was unfailingly the same.

Her heart sank, the lump in her throat ever present.

She missed the mundane things. Going to school, shopping for clothes and makeup, complaining about nasty teachers and watching their school's football games. The girls' nights with tubs of ice cream and cheesy drama series.

In actuality, she could deal with those things. They held no significance other than the memories of happy times and silliness.

What she couldn't handle, was the absence of her friends.

Dawn wasn't entirely alone here, she was aware, glad for the friendship of the three siblings but still, it wasn't the same. They didn't _fit_.

She missed her friends.

Dawn wanted to argue with Stiles about whether Marvel or DC was better, wanted to cuddle dogs at the shelter Scott worked at, wanted to watch 'The Notebook' again even though she had watched it a thousand times because Lydia never got sick of it, wanted to train with Allison again, wanted to tease Isaac for managing to spoil the toaster while trying to toast bread...

\V/

The next time she woke up, the first thing she noticed was the terribly sore eyes and throat she felt throbbing. The second was the presence of others in the room.

Dawn felt the gentle touch on her shoulder even through the blanket. "Don't cry anymore. We have been hearing you cry for too long now."

"Our hearts break for you, little sunrise." He murmured so quietly that she barely heard him, as buried under layers of blankets as she was. "My choice of words before was too harsh. I apologize for that. But, even if there is a way for you to return home, those methods are unforgivable. It truly upset us to know that such thoughts were on your mind."

The genuine care in those words nearly made the tears rise up again. Slowly, she shuffled upright, feeling every muscle twinge from stiffness. She released the covers from her grip, letting it pool around her shoulders.

She peered at Arwen, sitting on the bed, and the brothers, standing by the side. How could she be angry at them when they were all looking at her like that? It would be like kicking a puppy when it was already down. It helped that she was just _so_ tired. Everything, both physically and emotionally, hurt and ached to the point that she didn't have the energy to argue.

"You cannot allow either your loss or your search for home to consume you. Because you are _here_ now. We, and Middle Earth, are no less real than your own home." Elrohir said gently.

Dawn stared up at him with puffy eyes, "What am I supposed to do, then? What _can_ I do?"

"Live." His answer came in a simple word, but she found herself not understanding it.

"How?" There was an almost pleading quality to her voice. "How do I live here when they're not here anymore? When everything is different?"

"You have to try. That's how you find your reason for living, whether for yourself or for someone else. There's no guarantee that you'll find it, but if you give up and die, then you'll never find it."

"Have you?" She whispered. "Have you found it?"

Elrohir contemplated her for a moment, taking in the way she sat huddled in on herself. His tone was soft when he finally spoke. "I haven't, but I believe one day I'll find the thing that makes me think ' _This is the reason why I was born_ '."

"Live to the fullest. Struggle. Cry. Laugh. Love. Be happy." Elladan smiled, tenderly wiping the tears off her cheek. "Give your friends a tale to be envious of when you meet them again."

Elrohir agreed. "Make a new path, have an adventure in a whole new world. After all, you are already here."

"You might not be able to see your friends for a long time, but they're here with you all the same. As long as you never forget them, they'll always be here." Arwen gently rested her finger on Dawn's chest, above her heart. "Just as my mother is in mine."

"Eventually, you'll be able to talk about them with a smile," She said, eyes warm. "When you do, I'd be honoured if you would share some of your tales with me."

"I-I can." Dawn nodded slowly. "Yeah, I can do that."

* * *

 _A/N: Leave a review if you please! Thank you!_

 _And some shameless advertising for my Twilight story, A Beacon of Light, if you've enjoyed my writing so far! I'm mostly focusing on these two for the moment._


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